Another day, another scapegoat...
Friday 01 February 2008 11:29
So, Valencia president and owner Juan Soler finally sacked the man really responsible for the club’s crisis.
After going through five coaches, five directors of sport, three director generals, and three medical chiefs. After increasing the club’s debt from €120m to €260m and winning nothing in three and a half years, having taken over at a club that had won two league titles and the Uefa Cup, and been in two Champions League finals in the previous four years.
After creating a civil war with his divide and rule tactics, leaving lots of big, strong men quivering, tearful wrecks. After sacking his sporting director for not getting on with his coach and then, just one summer later, sacking the coach with the team four points off the top of the table and still alive in the Champions League.
After bringing in a new man to make them exciting and successful again, only to watch them score in just one - yes, one - of ten league games under him, making Valencia the worst side in the whole of La Liga since he took over and leaving them just five points off relegation and out of Europe.
After watching that coach play his centre-forward at right back, his right-winger at centre forward and not play his star striker at all (even though he’s the only one getting any goals). After watching his €18m acquisition get arrested and shipped out to Everton, the club captain take him to court, and the coach build a wall to keep those nasty journalists away - ‘cos that’ll sort everything out.
After watching his coach splash €18m on a new playmaker who pops up on the Internet bringing new meaning to ball control. After sacking three players who boasted 1,000 games between them and were the backbone of the most successful period in the club’s history.
After all of that, and more, Juan Soler finally sacked Juan Soler - delegating authority to Alberto Martí in all economic matters, Agustín Morera in all institutional matters and Rafael Salom in all sporting matters. There was just one, teensy problem: let’s face it, when Soler said that Salom would have “full executive powers in all sporting matters, including the future of the coach”, no one in their right mind believed a word he said. Another day, another scapegoat at Mestalla.
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About Tim Stannard and Simon Talbot
When he isn't fighting the evil forces of flamenco or attracting libel actions for La Liga Loca,
Tim Stannard is building his media empire in Madrid. As well as contributing to Football365 and doing odd jobs elsewhere, Tim also works in the glamorous world of television as a producer, script writer, news editor, coffee boy and stand-in fluffer.
Simon Talbot? Well, he's a man of mystery.